Essien

Actually, you would probably have to drug and/or roger me with a rifle to get me to read the NME, let alone buy music on the sttrength of their views on the music world. A curiously appropriate analogy you chose there - in much the same way as the output of the NME is relentlessly purile, self-satisfied verbal masturbation of the most juvenile kind, so is much of the drivel that spews from around the country into the King's Road.

I don't like Chelsea, I might add. They've always been a turgid gaggle of small-time wannabes, mired in a preposterous delusion about their true meaning to the world.

But that's got nothing to do with Russion oil gangsters and their nouveau-riche impulses - nor with the natural way in which such behaviour chimes with Stamford Bridge's natural clientele. Which means I see no reason for, nor purpose in, now affording them some specially-minted form of hostility. Chelsea were a bunch of cocks long before they started wearing trousers to go with that mouth.

On the more specific point of Essien, I stand by what I've said. He's no more a "dirty bastard" than any other player who has, on a couple of occasions, been shown to hit harder than is now deemed acceptable. Steven Gerrard, say. The outcry over such play says more about the bullshit nature of the game these days than it does about the players involved.

I'd put forward a similar defence if we were talking about any other strong midfield player for any other side. Essien's tackle on Hamann and on Ben Taim (IIRC) were beyond what is today acceptable, but that's about it. The shrill hysteria that the tackles caused has nothing to with him or the wellbeing of the players he targteted and everything to do with this faddish need to project a blanket air of malevolence on all things Chelsea that we are all suddenly expected to feel.

You, just by the by, prove that point with your closing remarks on Lucas Neill. You're not motivated to speak out on this by a desire to protect players from potential harm, you're just driven to have a pop at a Chelsea player.

Sorry, but they're too small-time for me to engage in such trite fashions. No one cared about Chelsea players doing anything when those players were Paul Elliot or Robert Fleck. Now its a major topic of conversation amongst the chattering classes every time the kit man blows his nose.

Got no time for it.

Easy to say when no one's interested.

I'd watch some football if I were you. In no way was Essien trying to "end someone's career". He just made a bad tackle.
And you'd better hope what goes around doesn't come around, for Stevie's sake. When're you playing Blackburn?

Me thinks the lady doth protest too much, Matt. When I'm over in January I'll give you my spare Zola kit.

Heh. Well that's unfair. No one can dislike Zola. That's like disliking ... I dunno - puppies, or something.

You're well on your way then, Matt, to becoming - what was it you called us again? A "turgid small-time wannabe, mired in a preposterous delusion about his true meaning to the world." You're already a stupidface; welcome to the next leg of your journey. Embrace your dark (blue) side.

That doesn't work, does it? "Small time", I mean. "Wannabe".

I'm a Liverpool fan, after all.

Pffft. Would you prefer bombastic, arrogant with delusions of grandeur, then?

He's a Barcelona fan?

Maybe so but John Terry is making a very questionable pose himself

Zing!

I have watched football across the globe from U.S to Australia so please don't talk to me about how I should watch football. He made two disgusting tackles and acted like a shithouse for both.

Much as I enjoyed Matts response to my post I think he kind of skirted around the original issue of Essien being a total and utter shithouse. No matter. I will apologise for associating you with that piss poor excuse for a magazine or the Pele weekly as I sometimes refer to it.

Gerrard gives as good as he gets. The derby was the perfect example of that and although some of his tackles may have been deemed over zealous by the prawn sarnie gang they were clean. There is a difference between going for every ball 100% and going in late above the knee deliberatly TWICE in the space of days. One of my favourite non Liverpool players other than his club was Roy Keane. I had nothing but praise for him despite hating him but when he went after players with challanges like that of Essiens the other week then he got the same response from me. Don't think Chelski players are getting any kind of special treatment. Blackburn mean nothing to me but there a bunch of dirty bastards as well and as such were a good comparisson.

You might think I am anti Chelski and you would be right but I have my reasons and they don't stop me from congratulating Joe Cole on the player he is becoming, passing comment on how Makalele is the best defensive midfielder in the world (in my opinion) and how Mourinho deserves the respect for what he has achieved albeit it mainly at Porto in my eyes.So why then should this stop me from berating things I don't like about them ? You would love to think that I just hate Chelski as there the new champions but it just isn't that simple. As Matt sums up perfectly

As for Josh and his hilarious quote about the spanish homosexual funky chicken........

LIVERPOOL 1-0 Chelsea LUIS GARCIA '4

On what ********ing planet do you live? He knew his last tackle of the game was so atrocious he began walking to the tunnel before the ref even carded him. Clean my ********ing ass.

Deliberately? WTF are you on? He wasn't even looking in Hamann's direction! As for Ben Haim, he wasn't close to the knee and was clearly trying to pull out of the challenge. Were they bad challenges? Yeah. Did they deserve red cards? Well, no less than Sissoko's "tackle", but I wouldn't have complained if he'd been sent off.

Once again, I think you need to look up the definition of the word "deliberate" in the dictionary. Keane's attempt to end Haaland's career was deliberate and even premeditated. Essien was looking in the other direction when he hit Hamann. Its not a tough difference to see.

I don't really care, I have to say. Its nice that you give obvious credit where its due, I suppose. That doesn't make you any less wrong about Essien.

Funny you should say that as Mourinho drew "33" on his board to tell his players how much better they were than us before the game.

His point made as much sense as yours.

I was talking about yesterday quite clearly. Anyway Gerrard was taking some nasty challenges in that game and it was a retaliation. Doesn't make it right like but still.

Ah right he was going for the ball was he ? My mistake. "No less than Sissokos" Are you a sky commentator in disguise ?

Keane went after Haaland ? Wow when did that happen? I see you totally missed the point of what I said there also.

I shall remember to look away when I decide to hold a gun to Essiens head just before I pull the trigger then I won't mean it right ? . "But your honour I wasn't even looking at him".

Time will tell. At the moment Essien is not doing himself any favours.

You've now played us 8 times in two years and have beaten us once. We, in the same span, have beaten you 4 times.
You were saying?

We could just take 2 goals out of our recent victory and put them in to that one.

Suggest it to UEFA and see how you get on.

What you fail to mention is it has taken ET in the cup, the small matter we were clearly playing for draws in the CL and that you have never beaten us in the CL.
Let's not mention the fact you had 2 keepers when you beat us at Anfield last season either.

To be honest for all the reasons/excuses (depending on your standpoint) last season we were outplayed at the bridge early on in the league and didn't deserve to win, outplayed you at Anfield but couldn't win (cheers ref). We were in an attack v defence match for the league cup (which was won by a deflection from about 25 yards, hard to believe I know).The same cannot be said of the CL despite the black and white view people took of it. We went to Stamford Bridge for a draw maybe a 1-0 and we did the same at Anfield, both times we succeded and Chelski failed.

This season we outplayed you twice in the CL and looked much the better side deserving 4 points at least from our two games and topped the group, we were looking pretty good at Anfield till Djimi "Bambi on ice" Traore gave Drogba an invitation to go down in the box (terrible challenge) not that he needs half a touch to inspire a dive an olympic diver would be proud of and then Chelski ran away with the game as our heads dropped.

Overall this season when we have met I would say we have looked much the better side and I am more than happy with the improvement. The only difference I can see between Liverpool and Chelski at the moment is that Liverpool had a very poor start to the season and Chelski didn't. People wanted us to score more and since moving to 4-4-2 we have done exactly that. We have conceded only 9 goals matching at this moment in time Chelski and considering 4 came in a bit of a freak game that is really quite impressive.

Chelski have the league title and Liverpool the Champions league. You may have to be more consistent to win the league but you have to beat the best teams in Europe to win the CL which we did.

When it is all said and done Chelski are not all that much better than they were last year, Liverpool quite clearly are.

Aside from doing the double (Or triple, however you look at it.) on Arsenal, beating Man City, and being quite a few points better off.

You drew 0-0 with us. Twice in the CL. Even games. You lost 4-1 AT HOME and then try to make excuses for it? Jesus. That takes some ********ing blinkers.

0-0. 4-1. 0-0 Yeah, much better.

Except that you've played two games less and haven't played Arsenal once yet. Oh, and why is it a "freak" game when we beat you by 3 clear goals on the road?
On top of that, lets not pretend the CL games last year were anything other than practically even. If Gudjohnson's shot goes half a foot closer to goal you'd have been watching the final on television.

You've beaten us once in 8 tries. ONCE.

That's because you have so much more room for improvement. And in case you haven't noticed, we're ahead of our pace last season.

There is a board for topics such as this:
(http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=188)

Reo Coker .......

Well played lad!


I don't even care what you all say it had to be done.

Just because his ankle is hurt won't stop him from beating your ass if you take his hubcaps again.

Sissoko is a thousand times worse than Essien, going intentionally late into tackles and diving constantly. He deserved to be sent off against Bolton, but the Referee has a way of overlooking these things, as do the press. Chelsea and their squad seem to be the only things of interest. (Oh, well. At least it shows we're a bigger club, as more people are concerned with what goes on with us and our players.)

i used to like chelsea but have to rethink my position
due to it seems only obnoxious **************s are fans of the blues theses days.
i wonder if it is a different group or just same people who used to root for
MAN U